Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Threw some thick chops on the OJ’s chimney. I rarely even use my grill any longer.

 

Smoked my thanksgiving turkey today . Almost smoked my thermapen too lol. Had it on hot smoker for about 15mins. let it rest with the turkey and started working again spatchcocked also



After I thought about it should have tried using my mini torch to try crispy up the skin alittle. Next timt .

 

Ribs came out very good for my second cook on the pit boss. I would’ve liked another 30 mins or so but my wife loved them so that’s really all that matters.

 

Someone beat me to it. Damn.

22” I even offered $80 and a new 12 rolls of toilet paper.

 

Tri tip, mac n cheese, green beans.

 

Anyone smoke their corned beef for st Patty's day?

 

I have in the past..but I made it I to pastrami with a black pepper and coriander based rub after soaking it for a couple hours to remove some of the saltiness

 

When i can’t be around to babysit a brisket for an entire slow cook, I do the following.

It goes on a 225* smoker for a minimum of two hours, 4 max. Then bump the smoker to 275*-300*, and let it finish at that temp. Not quite “hot and fast” but it finishes faster than a low and slow. The few i’ve done in this manner have been really good.

Maybe I’ll do another soon, just need to find one at a reasonable price.

 

Been doing a lot of pork butts lately, at least one every 2 weeks or so for the last couple of months. I have found that if you don't let it rest (or hold) and shred it too quickly they dry up fast for what ever reason. You can really tell when it sits in the fridge after a couple of days. Or a week to 10 days or so Seems like 45 minutes is the sweet spot for the low end and an hour is even better. Not sure anything to be gained going more than an hour. Also been doing them at 225° for the first 4-6 hours then cranking it to 300° not sure if that qualifies as hot and fast but it sure does help with reducing the cook time. I don't even use the thermoworks Smoke anymore, I just start taking temps at the 10 hour or so mark and are usually perfect.

If you can stack another grate over your mac and cheese it is well worth it. Yes you can add things to your mac and cheese. But nothing is as good as fresh pork drippings. Belly, ham shoulder, any and all of it.





Same for the beans. Or both.



I use a no boil mac and cheese and it turns out perfect pretty much every time. For me.

Spoiler: No Boil

1/2 cups of uncooked elbow noodles
3/4 stick butter
12 ounces yellow cheddar cheese, shred a brick it melts better and less oil
4 oz. Velveeta cheese to make it creamier
5 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper

2.5 hours at 240. Careful not to over cook. Stir 3 times toward the end.

You likely already know this but don't skin it, you need to pluck the damn duck Need the skin on to keep them from drying out if you're going to smoke it. I do a lot of game birds, first you go out and shoot them.







If you are doing duck highly recommend you don't shoot coots to smoke LOL. Smoked wild birds are tricky, but it can be done. Like any wild game they are lean and that makes it difficult to do low and slow.

You again?!

My youngest sister worked in Providence for Navy Underwater Systems Command as an electrical engineer and spent a few years in Austin doing QA for a Raytheon project. Opposite end of the earths spectrum as you in aerospace and it was 35-40 years ago. She loved it down there back then. Her and my BIL ended in Wake Forrest, NC and are still there. They moved about the time I retired from the Navy 25 years ago from Western NC and moved to Mn. The Carolina's are nice. Very nice.

 

Ran some ribeyes on the smoker last weekend. Ran at 180-200 until IT of 115, then seared on the grill for a few minutes each side. Came out great. These were from BJs, and were labeled as Canadian AAA grade. No idea what that grade is, should have asked the butcher for some info. They were delish. Marinated in some lupos lemmon pepper, and some montreal steak seasoning sprinkled on when they hit the smoker

 

That's idiotic. I sold mine, with 4 bags of charcoal and a chimney, for $275.

 

AAA is normally pretty good. Just watch the trim as sometimes that rating for some reason doesn’t reflect upon that. If it’s AAA & overly fatty, I usually point that out to the butcher.

 

3 briskets, 5 pork butts, 2 pork bellies and 3 racks of ribs to put on the cooker tomorrow night. All trimmed and ready to rock.

 

You ever tried to smoke any of the mud bugs Maner?

 

I have put a light smoke on tail meat. I throw some on the pit Saturday morning and try them.

 

Nice interested in how that comes out. A smoke etouffee sounds really good.

 

Gotta keep from crawling out of the pit.

 

Party time?

 

Free lunch at work today